Innovations in chocolate: asparagus, smoked figs and 23-carat gold

Innovation in product design, be this packaging or formulation, will play a key role in boosting margins to help confectionery manufacturers beat the economic downturn. At this year's confectionery and biscuit trade fair ISM, held in Cologne earlier this month, a clutch of new designs contributed to the pool of new product ideas.

And with a staggering one out of two food and drink products to hit the European shelves actually removed within two years, leaving the companies to bear the considerable costs involved in new product development, getting it right is a herculean task.

Aspargus fillings, smoked figs and 23-carat gold chocolate​

In context of the already innovative food arena, the chocolate industry is particularly active. At ISM, German firm Buekers Backhaus displayed its crunchy hemp-chocolate that promises “high quality” ​dark chocolate with roasted hemp in a creamy nougat filling.

Slightly more obscure, the firm has come up with “a very special taste sensation”,​ a the filling that is a blend of fresh creamed asparagus soup enriched with nougat, marzipan and chocolate.

Austrian firm Fruchtmanufaktur Kibler presented, mostschokolade or apple wine chocolate. According to the firm, for its latest innovation water and alcohol is extracted from the freeze-dried apple wine.

"The solids remain, as does the unadulterated flavour of must, which is strongly intensified by the process,"​ said the Austrian company.

The concentrate forms the basis of the Mostschokolade which is available in two flavours: Dark Mostschokolade with four per cent freeze-dried apple wine concentrate and three per cent freeze-dried plums, as well as white Mostschokolade with three per cent apple wine concentrate and ten per cent freeze-dried apples.